Death Note: Crossroads
by river-moonlight
Summary: One year later... What if Ryuk dropped another Death Note? Will Near survive another encounter with the deadly weapon? What if... it was Matsuda who found it?
1. New Beginning

It's only been a year, and yet everything had gone back to the way it was before. Crime rates have risen again that it would seem like nothing had happened at all. It was depressing. It was not what he wanted. Seeing all this, Matsuda could only ask himself… "Did we do the right thing?"

He wasn't sure. Sometimes he felt like he had made the wrong decision, but then… Light—no, Kira had also killed innocent people. He killed the FBI… L… he was also partly responsible for his own father's death.

So who was right?

Near or Kira?

**Chapter 1: New Beginning**

_Maybe it's fate?_

It had been a long night. The operation was a success. Of course it was. With Near—L as the lead, nothing could've gone wrong. The criminals were arrested, the drugs confiscated and the evidence taken in. Information about the rest of the syndicate was obtained from the suspects. Everything had gone according to L's plan. Matsuda sighed.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Ide asked.

"Nothing… It's just that I'd expected something interesting to happen," Matsuda started. He glanced at Ide who was glaring at him. Upon realizing the implication of his words, the other investigator hurriedly replied, "No—not that I didn't want the mission to be successful, it's just that, I don't know… L, the yellow box and…"

Ide just sighed in exasperation. He looked as though he was about to say something, but then decided against it when Aizawa and the rest of the group arrived in the room. A few moments later, the TV screen flickered to life, displaying the letter "L" in what seemed to be the "Olde English" writing style.

'_I would like to thank everyone for assisting in tonight's operation,_' L began as he spoke through the speakers. His voice was distorted as usual, so as not to leave any clues to his identity, even though most of the people in the room knew who he was. It was a precaution that the previous L had established.

The new L would be a boy named Nate River. He had succeeded the title of L after capturing Kira, that of which the original L failed and died doing so. Ever since then, he had been working under the title of L, solving cases that others might find impossible.

The whole room fell silent the moment L started the meeting. Everyone listened carefully to his final instructions. It wasn't really that complicated, just a few more things to wrap the whole case up. It was in the middle of the meeting when someone's phone started ringing. It was Matsuda's.

"Sorry," Matsuda nervously replied to Aizawa. He knew he shouldn't, but he answered it anyway. "Hello—"

'_M—Matsuda_,' a weak voice interrupted from the phone, it was almost inaudible. Matsuda's face suddenly changed, his mask of cheerfulness slipped away. Everyone waited, either in anticipation or annoyance. Even L was silent.

"Sayu?" Matsuda worriedly asked. He could hear… was she crying?

'Mom, she—she collapsed," Sayu said in between sobs. "I don't—know w—what to do!"

At this Matsuda stood and ran for the door.

"Sorry guys, gotta go," he said and was gone in a flash. Aizawa stood up to call him back.

'_It's ok,_' L intervened. '_Let him go_.'

---

He brought Sayu's mom to the hospital. The doctor said that she had been sick for quite sometime now. He wasn't sure how bad it was, but Matsuda knew that it would only turn for the worse… Since when did he become so pessimistic? The young man sighed. He didn't know anymore. Ever since that day, everything just seemed so dark. Ever since the Kira case ended, the whole world just seemed so… hopeless…?

He shook his head. No, he shouldn't think like that. Right now, Sayu needed him. Ever since Light died, Matsuda took it upon himself to help Sayu and her mother in whatever way he could. He felt somewhat responsible for what had happened… for Chief Yagami and Light's death…

Matsuda glanced over at Sayu. The poor girl was still sitting silently across the room, watching over her mother. Her eyes were red; her shoulders were slumped… She was clearly tired… physically, mentally and emotionally. It was then that Matsuda wished that the whole thing would turn for the better. The Yagami family deserved that much. He feared that if it didn't, Sayu's condition might return. She might isolate herself from the rest of the world again, just like what happened after Mello had held her hostage…

_Just when she was recovering… this had to happen..._ He thought sadly. Matsuda stood up, and then walked towards her who was sitting on a chair. "Sayu, you should get some rest."

"Oh… um…" Sayu stammered. "But, Matsuda-san…"

"It's ok, I'll watch over her," He replied. She looked at him, unsure. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Just get some rest."

"Thank you," she weakly said as she smiled. "You're very kind."

She stood up and headed for the bench where she then slept. Matsuda couldn't help but smile. He then sat down on the chair for the rest of the evening.

---

RINNGGGGGG!!!!!

He woke with a start. Matsuda glanced around. Mrs. Yagami was still asleep, but he could not find Sayu anywhere. His phone rang again and Matsuda clumsily reached into his pocket. He fumbled with it a bit, until he finally pressed the right button.

'_Matsuda, are you there?_' It was Aizawa.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," Matsuda replied as he rubbed sleep off his eyes.

'_So how's everything?_'

"Oh umm, well, Sayu's mother collapsed. So we had to bring her to the hospital," he explained. "The doctor's not sure yet. He said that the results would come out tomorrow afternoon."

'_I see._'

"I'm sorry about last night," Matsuda scratched his head guiltily.

'_It's ok, no harm done. Anyway, we just wanted to check up on you since you weren't answering your phone at home._' He paused for a bit. '_I've also decided to give you a day-off._'

"What? No, it's ok—" He looked at his watch. To his surprise it was already 11:35 am. "Oh… ok. Are you sure?"

'_Yeah, everything's wrapped up on our part anyway._'

"Thanks…"

'_No problem. I'll see you tomorrow._' Matsuda placed his phone back into his pocket. Giving the whole room a glance again, he decided to look for Sayu. It was then that she suddenly entered the room.

"Oh, Matsuda-san, you're awake!" She smiled despite her worries. She shuffled through a plastic bag that she was carrying and handed him a piece of sandwich. "Here, you must be hungry."

"Oh, thank you."

---

The rest of the day was sort of uneventful and long. Waiting was the part he hated most. It made him feel useless. Watching Sayu depressed was even worse. She seemed happy outside, but every now and then he would see her looking gloomy. He tried cheering her up, but it really didn't help that much. Well, he didn't think so…

That afternoon Sayu insisted that she would be ok by herself. She felt a bit embarrassed making Matsuda wait with her. The investigator was reluctant at first, but then gave in. Before leaving, he first made sure that she had a way of contacting him if she needed anything.

It was almost evening when he left the hospital. The sun was almost gone, leaving a final orange to red glow before finally disappearing from the sky. The drive back to his apartment didn't take that long. It took merely a few minutes until he had finally arrived and parked his car.

As he stepped out, a cold evening breeze blew, making him shiver slightly. He looked around, but did not find a single person in the street. The whole place was eerily silent. It was dark, the only light coming from a nearby streetlamp.

"Hahaha, what am I getting all worked up for?" he asked himself, in an attempt to cover his own nervousness. But seriously, why was he feeling anxious? Matsuda shook his head and softly chuckled. "This is getting ridiculous. Me and my imagination…"

He started towards the building. That was when the young man heard something. It sounded like something being whipped by the wind. And for a split second, he stopped—then something hit his head.

"Ow—what the?!" He looked around, his eyes darting from left to right. There was no one there… He looked down—and felt his heart skip a beat. At his feet was a black notebook, lying facedown on the ground. Matsuda stood still, for what seemed to be an eternity. He stared at it, as if trying to make sure if it was just a dream or not. "It can't be…"

His trembling hands felt cold. Everything felt so unreal. What would be the chances of the notebook on the ground… being a Death Note…? No way, it couldn't be…

"Don't be ridiculous," He angrily said to himself. After a few moments of hesitation, he gave a final glance around the whole place. No one was still around. Cursing under his breath, Matsuda bent down to lift the black object.

It was when he turned it around—that was when he felt his blood run cold. He felt his heart beating faster as he tensed. Matsuda just stood there, dumbfounded. His mind just couldn't accept it, couldn't comprehend it. At the cover, written in an eerie fashion, were two words.

It read DEATH NOTE.

To be continued… 


	2. Contemplation

_Author's note: For those who care, there'll be a few OC's here, but don't worry, they are only there as a necessity for the plot. Most of the characters that I'll focus on will be from the series._

**Chapter 2: Contemplation**

As he lay still on his bed, the whole world seemed to have stopped. He was… scared. He wouldn't deny it. He was scared… and unsure. The moment he found it… the Death Note, his whole world just felt unreal. What were the chances? It was impossible… of all people, him??? And yet, it was there, sitting in his drawer.

"This is crazy…" he whined, his voice muffled by the pillow he buried his head in. Maybe… he should tell Aizawa? L? But… they'll just burn it… Then again why should he care? In fact, he shouldn't care because… because… "Dammit…"

He stood up and faced the drawer. The lights were closed, leaving his whole room shrouded in darkness. The moonlight's glow that crept through the windows was the only thing that illuminated the whole place, even faintly.

"I—I don't know…" Holding his head in his hands, the young man sat back on the bed. "Why me…?"

It shouldn't be a hard decision for him. The Death Note was used to kill people. No matter who, what or why, killing is wrong… so why the hesitation? Was he actually considering it? Was he actually considering using the Death Note? Maybe…

"No," he felt a bit ashamed. He shook his head, a little angry with himself for what he had just thought of. What was he thinking? He can't use the Death Note. Murder is murder, no matter what your intentions were. Although… there's also the death penalty in some countries… "Man, I'm so confused…"

He sighed.

"But if I did use it…" He remembered Light, Misa, Higuchi, Mello and the mafia and Mikami. All of them had used the Death Note. All of them had died… Also, everyone who had been near it had only experienced misfortune. There was the FBI agents, Ukita, L, Takada, the Yotsuba group… even Deputy Director Yagami and his family. It only brought sadness and trouble to everyone who was involved. Then he thought of the millions of people who were avenged or saved… their praises and thanks for Kira flooding the whole world.

"So what should I do?"

---

"Hey Matsuda?" Yamamoto called from his desk, but the other investigator didn't seem to notice. He tried again. "Matsuda?"

"Oh-h, um… yeah?"

"You sure you're ok?"

"Eh? Yeah I'm fine," Matsuda replied. "Just a little worried…"

"You mean about Mrs. Yagami and Sayu?"

"Yeah. I just wish… I just wish it all turns out for the better," He sighed sadly. He'll decide about the Death Note some other time. For him, looking after Sayu and her mother are more important.

Fiddling with his pen, he snatched the newspaper that someone had left on his desk. The front-page news was about a massacre at the US. The whole Ashford family was burnt to death in their own home. Matsuda grimaced, he read on. The police said it was not an accident due to the evidence they've found on the scene, although unfortunately, they haven't found any suspects yet.

He sighed again, probably his millionth one today. Placing the newspaper back on the desk, he sat quietly, saddened. Was the world really this rotten?

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be at the hospital by now?" Ide asked, looking at his watch.

"Yeah," The other officer had already gone to the door. "Oh and tell Aizawa thanks."

The instant the door shut, a phone started to ring. Ide walked over to a nondescript desk and answered.

"Hello—"

"A bombing will occur soon," a distorted voice burst from the receiver. "Be prepared because it will be a feat you won't forget."

The line went dead.

---

That afternoon, the results came.

"She'll be ok," the doctor said. At this, Sayu's eyes gleamed, filled with hope. Matsuda could not suppress a smile. "I believe that the main cause was most probably stress. It's nothing serious, just as long as she rests for now."

"I'm so glad," Sayu smiled. "Thank you."

"Your welcome."

At this, the doctor left. Matsuda felt so relieved. There was nothing to be worried about after all. He looked at Sayu, their cheerful eyes meeting each other's. The investigator couldn't help but grin.

Sayu smiled a cheerful smile at last, and then suddenly embraced him. Surprised, Matsuda let his own arms fall across her back. He was speechless. His cheeks had turned red and he felt his heart beating faster each passing second.

"Thank you so much Matsuda," She murmured. "Thank you for always being there for me…"

Matsuda smiled, and then a thought struck him that his smile slipped as instantly as it came. What will Sayu think if he used the Death Note? What would she think of him? Would she hate him?

"Hmm? What's wrong Matsuda?" The girl asked, puzzled. Upon realizing that the investigator was bright red, she blushed as well. Letting go, she avoided looking at him to hide her embarrassment. "Umm, sorry…"

"Huh? Umm, no—that's ok…" Matsuda stammered as he scratched his head in nervousness. "I mean—um—"

He felt stupid. What made it worse was that the words wouldn't come out, so he was left standing there like a frantic idiot. Matsuda made a final attempt to say something, but he then quickly gave up and instead, just pouted like an embarrassed kid. Sayu giggled.

"It's ok," She patted him happily. "I understand."

---

The next few days have been hectic. Everyone was all worked up about that mysterious tip that an anonymous caller had given. So far, they had nothing. Not a single clue that would help surfaced. They weren't even sure if they should announce it. They did not want to risk a citywide panic, but what if it was true?

Five days have past, and still nothing. The whole city was the same as usual. Nothing had turned up and they haven't received another call from the anonymous person ever since. It was frustrating. More and more people at the force are now shrugging it off as a hoax.

On a lighter note, Sayu had gone back to school. She was back to her normal cheery self. Of course, she visited her mother in the hospital until she was released. Matsuda did the same, and often offered Sayu a drive home. Today wasn't any different. Thanks to him, she didn't have to walk in the rain. After driving her home, Matsuda headed back for his apartment.

The rain seemed to pour even harder as he approached his destination. It drowned the city with icy cold needles. Flashes of lightning, followed by booms of thunder filled the skies. Dark clouds that loomed above blocked out the shimmering stars and the pale glow of moonlight.

When he arrived, he carefully stepped out of his car, his umbrella in hand. The coldness engulfed him almost immediately. Shivering, he rushed towards the building and into his apartment. He was drenched. Water dripped down onto the floor as he clumsily made his way in. After stumbling a few times, he managed to flick one of the light switches open, only to be greeted by a quick flash before the whole place went dark again.

"Oh come on…" Matsuda moaned, flicking the switch on and off in vain. "Great… hope I've got a spare…"

He couldn't be bothered. He was tired. The whole day he'd been working non-stop with the rest of the force who were on the "Bombing" case. Groping his way through the dark, the investigator staggered into his room, letting himself fall onto the bed the instant he got there. The man yawned. He then rested quietly, almost drifting to sleep—until the loud rumble of thunder shook the skies outside once again. It was so terrifyingly loud that it had shaken him awake.

Matsuda opened his eyes, and then closed it again. Pausing, his mind replayed a mental picture of what he saw. Amongst the blankets of shadow that had engulfed his room, there was something, something terribly different. Before he could comprehend what it was—

"How interesting. Ku ku ku…"

He sat up, eyes wide and alert. The ever-familiar cold shiver ran down his spine. Matsuda instantly turned to where the familiar voice came from. It was a voice that he hadn't heard from for a year, a voice he wished he'd never hear from again.

"You…"

It stood there, studying him intently, a creature that seemed to be withered by time. Its body, though humanoid, was disproportionate. Its arms were long and bony, its skin pale blue. It wore clothing, a darker shade of blue. On its belt hung a Death Note… probably the same one that had killed Light.

_Oh yeah! The Death Note…_ He gave the drawer a quick glance, then returned his attention to the thing standing in front of him. It seemed to grin, but he wasn't really sure.

Matsuda tried to stand up, and amazingly he did, even slowly. He felt his heart pumping faster, fear gradually taking over his entire being. It wasn't mostly fear of the creature though, but what it represents…

Death.

All this time, picking up the Death Note seemed more and more like a dream each passing day, but this… this was a reminder of how dreadfully serious the situation he was in, how real this whole thing was. Despite all those times they all investigated alongside these… gods of death, he could never really completely get used to it… He thought he didn't have to, until now.

"Ryuk…"

To be continued…


	3. Unforseen Event

_Author's note: For gamers who know what game RE stands for, well, you'll notice certain things, but no, this is not a crossover. This is purely a Death Note fan fic with a few things inspired from RE. :P_

**Chapter 3: Unforseen Event**

"Funny how the Death Note landed in Japan again. I never expected it to be picked up by you though," Ryuk chuckled. The investigator stood still for a moment, taking it all in. "Much less the fact that you still have it until now, ku ku ku…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Matsuda snapped back, a hint of guilt escaping through his voice despite his efforts to cover it with anger. Guilt… for what? For having the Death Note? Even he wasn't sure. The shinigami chuckled a bit more, much to his annoyance. The man sighed exasperatedly and sat back on his bed.

Silence took over again, and for a moment, Matsuda was in deep thought. He glanced down at the floor. Ryuk was still there, watching, always watching, but that wasn't what bothered him at the moment. It was something, a question that appeared in his mind only now.

"Why did you do it?"

"Hmm? Do what?" The death god asked, only half-interested.

"Why did you drop another Death Note?"

At this, Ryuk paused—and then smiled. The investigator gave a sudden startled look. It was a smile that seemed deathly—so deathly that it would freeze you to the core.

"I was bored."

"What?" Confusion played across Matsuda's face.

"I was bored, that's why." The Death god repeated.

_Bored? What? He thought it was some sort of game?!_ He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Disbelief was written all over his features. He felt a stronger stab of shame now… and anger. All the thoughts of using the Death Note vanished the moment he comprehended what the Death god had meant. _I'm not going to be used. Never again._

"Well, for your information…" The man rested on his bed, trying to sound as confident as he could. "I haven't written a single name on it."

He closed his eyes and waited for a response. Another moment passed, but the silence was never broken. Slowly drifting into sleep, Matsuda decided he'd talk to Aizawa about the notebook… or maybe he could just burn it himself…? There's one thing for sure though, he'll NEVER use the Death Note.

We'll see… 

---

"Do you really have to follow me everywhere like that?" Matsuda whispered. He didn't really like the idea of having a shinigami around, especially this certain one. Who would? Then again, Light…

"Yup," Ryuk simply replied. "You're still the owner of the Death Note. Don't worry, only the people who touched it can see me, though I guess you already knew that."

"Yeah, that…" He sighed, trying as much as he can to not look anxious. Already his day had gotten worse. Apparently, Aizawa wasn't there. Something came up, and he left the office early with Mogi. Ide said it was something about the anonymous tip, but he couldn't be sure.

Reaching into his pocket, the investigator held his phone. He could call Aizawa right now and tell him about the Death Note… or he could wait. Matsuda placed the phone back.

"Hmm? I thought you were going to tell him?" The Death god asked, it's interest growing. "Ku ku ku…"

Matsuda gave it a quick sharp look. He knew what it was implying and it took all his strength not to reply back. Ignoring Ryuk, he decided to get back to work. Maybe he'll take a break later at lunch and go outside to get a breather. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He hasn't used the Death Note, why should he feel so guilty?

---

"Ah, crap!" The boy gasped. "I'm so sorry!!!"

Matsuda stood there, his suit stained with ice cream. Maybe going to the park was a bad idea. He sighed. Ryuk chuckled behind him. A group of kids probably around the age of ten were there with someone who seemed to be their teacher. One of them accidentally ran into him, now there he was, sticky with ice cream.

"Kyoshi!" The woman who was probably their teacher ran to them. "Didn't I tell you not to run around?" She then turned to Matsuda. "I'm terribly sorry."

"No, no, it's ok," The investigator hastily replied back, but the teacher insisted. She then decided to help him clean it up much to his protest. The stain didn't come off, but at least it was less sticky… and less noticeable.

The boy named Kyoshi had nervously stayed out of the way during the whole thing. He fiddled anxiously with a key chain that looked like a silver bird. When Matsuda approached, the boy nervously looked down on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Kyoshi replied. "I really am."

"It's ok," Matsuda answered. "Everyone makes mistakes."

He patted the boy's head, smiling. Kyoshi's mouth slowly curved to a grin, and then they both started to laugh.

"We'll I guess you better get back to your friends. Just be careful next time okay?"

"Yup!" The boy cheerfully replied, then ran back to his friends.

"Kukuku…" Matsuda spared Ryuk a tiny glance, the deformed creature had been laughing ever since Kyoshi got ice cream all over him. It was bad enough at work sometimes, but now he needed to put up with a shinigami making fun of him.

"Ok everyone!" Ms. Sakata, the teacher, announced. "We're heading off now!"

Apparently they were off to see an exhibit at the museum. Matsuda waved farewell to the teacher and the kids. Glancing at Ryuk, the investigator noticed that the shinigami seemed sort of distracted. It stared at the group of children as they walked away. The man then looked back at Ms. Sakata's class. Kyoshi was waving goodbye to him. Smiling, Matsuda waved back. And off they went.

Ryuk was eerily quiet now.

"What's wrong?" Matsuda asked out of curiosity. "Ryuk?"

As if snapping out of a trance, Ryuk turned his head back to the man. He seemed to stare at him for a while, and then finally replied.

"Do you have an apple?"

---

He'll never know how Ryuk convinced him to buy an apple. What was he, some kind of errand boy? Then again, he didn't want to make an enemy of a death god, especially one like Ryuk.

After he made sure that no one was around, Matsuda tossed an apple that he had bought from a shop to the odd creature. It gulped it down in a matter of seconds while hovering behind him. As he looked at his watch, he noted that he still had plenty of time left. Huh, after all that had happened.

_Crunch!_

"Hmm?" He looked down to see what he stepped on. It was the silver bird keychain that Kyoshi had. Matsuda picked it up, noticing that it was actually a silver eagle. The man turned it around and saw Kyoshi's name engraved on one side.

"Oy, isn't that the kid's?"

"Yeah," Matsuda replied as he glanced to his left at the museum. Without another word, he went in. Another little detour wouldn't hurt. Ryuk followed, his interest back.

Surely enough, Ms. Sakata and her students were at the reception desk when he got inside. As he moved closer, Kyoshi saw him and grinned. "Hey there Mister!"

"Hahaha," Matsuda waved back. He then held the keychain in front of the little boy and smiled. "I believe you lost something."

The boy's eyes widened. "But—I…" He checked his bag and then looked back at Matsuda.

"I didn't notice that it fell!" Kyoshi replied in disbelief. Matsuda then handed it back. "Thank you!!!"

"You're welcome."

"Oh, Matsuda-san!" Ms. Sakata greeted when she noticed the investigator.

"He found my keychain!" Kyoshi cheerfully explained—

A distant explosion was heard, followed by others. The ground shook violently, sending everyone to the floor. Objects slipped off desks and tables, loosing their balance. The lamps flickered, the whole building moaned.

After an eternity, the moment passed, the earth was still again. Some of the kids started crying, some were confused and frightened. Matsuda's mind raced, and instantly he was on his feet. Looking around, he checked to see if everyone was okay.

_Could it be??? _

"What was that?!" Voices began to flood the museum. Some were frightened, while others were completely clueless. The investigator felt another tremor; another distant rumble was heard.

_RIIIIIING!!!!_

He instantly answered it. His fears were confirmed.

'_Matsuda where are you?!_' Aizaiwa shouted on top of the deafening noise. '_We need everyone here right now! ASAP!_'

"I'll be right there!" Matsuda replied. Aizawa then gave him the location. After that, the investigator swiftly placed his phone back. He went to Ms. Sakata first, asking her if everyone was ok. She merely nodded, at a loss for words. The investigator nodded back. "I have to go now. I want you all to stay put."

He glanced at Kyoshi, who was huddling near some of his friends. Matsuda then decided that it was time to go. The bombings were apparently at the other side of the city. He needed to move fast.

Standing up, Matsuda quickly spun around—and found a gun barrel pointed at his face.

"Sorry punk, but I'm gonna have to ask you to stay put."

To be continued…


	4. Trapped

_Author's note: I'd like to thank all of you who read, reviewed or faved this fic so far. ____ I didn't expect it, really. Now I'm really and more than determined to finish this until the end (which is not coming soon, though I've already planned it, haha…well sorta)._

**Chapter 4: Trapped**

"You're phone," the man demanded. The investigator was roughly shoved to the ground, a gun steadily pointed at him. Matsuda made no attempt to move, but his mind was racing. It was too risky with everyone around, especially the kids... Hesitantly, he reached into his pocket and placed the phone on the floor next to him.

BANG!

There went his phone.

"Nobody move!" Another man shouted from the other side. Suddenly, shots were fired in the air and were heard from all directions in the museum. _There were more of them?!_

To his horror, screams echoed from some parts of the building, only to be silenced by more gunfire. Matsuda glanced around, desperate. There weren't any openings. He clenched his fists and tensed. There was nothing he could do to stop it. He felt so helpless.

"I said don't move!" The man from the other side shouted. Pulling the trigger, he sent a bullet to the receptionist who had attempted to set off the alarm. There was a thud as the body crumpled to the floor. The kids were frozen, fear written all over their entire being. Other people started to panic.

Some of them ran.

"No!" His voice was lost once again to the loud sea of noise. He tried to stand, to help, but the moment he moved, he felt the gun pressed harder behind his head. More bodies fell down, dead. The children were crying now, closing their eyes.

"Idiots," a third man appeared. More people were rounded and brought to the reception area. More of the armed men came. There were probably eight of them. They weren't your typical thugs. They were more like paid mercenaries, which made the whole situation even worse.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ He mentally cursed to himself. He glanced at the dead bodies, anger and contempt for the armed group filling him.

"You know," Ryuk began. "You can make the trade and find out their names."

Matsuda gave Ryuk a quick glare. He was still on the floor, unable to move. The Death Note… It wasn't with him… It was back at his apartment. _Exactly where it should be! _He thought angrily. _I'll never use it! And I don't regret leaving it now!_

"Y'know," the shinigami continued, as if hearing his thoughts. "Light used to always bring a piece of the Death Note with him. Really came in handy at times."

_I DON'T need it. Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!_

Another rumble came from outside. People's shouts and voices were heard, but that was outside. Inside the museum, it was silent. No one dared to speak. The armed men had separated. Two were guarding the group, to make sure no one tries anything. The others had gone off somewhere in search of something.

He weighed his options. He could disarm one of them… But that would be dangerous by himself. Two against one… he'd be shot dead for sure. The other option was to stay and wait, but he doubt they'd leave any of them alive…

Matsuda scanned the room… There were about 25 of them there, including the kids who were huddled together near Ms. Sakata. The kids… He looked at them again… _Oh no_…

_Where's Kyoshi?_

He looked around again, frantically.

_He's not here._

"No…" The investigator's heart quickened its pace.

_I'll take my chances._

He waited. Watching the two men circle the group was very nerve-racking. He'd have to be careful that they didn't notice him, if not, he's dead. Matsuda waited, and waited. In fact, the investigator was so focused that he didn't notice a pair of eyes observing him from the group of hostages sitting farthest from him.

One of the men passed in front of him, while the other one was distracted behind the counter.

_Now!_

A leg sweep, and the armed man was instantly down. He wasn't part of the force for nothing. Matsuda lunged for the gun, got it and then fired two quick shots at mercenary near the counter. One connected with the man's hand, disarming him, while the other connected with his leg.

Turning back to the one on the floor, the investigator knocked the guy's head with the gun the moment he stood up. The man then fell to the floor, unconscious. He whirled around, and saw the guy at the counter. He had already recovered and was aiming a back-up gun at Matsuda.

Oh shi— 

A flash of movement and the mercenary had fallen on the floor unarmed and knocked out. Matsuda blinked once, then twice. He eyed his rescuer who was examining the weapon he had stolen from the merc. _What just happened?_

"Be careful," the man said, with an accent that was very notable. He was obviously a foreigner, what with the blond hair and all. "They're faster than you think."

"Uh, thanks," Matsuda replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Check the doors," the mysterious man said. "I'll keep watch."

The investigator nodded and then ran to the door and checked to see. It was unlocked. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pushed the door open. "Everyone, out!"

The whole group did as he said. People rushed out, pouring into the littered streets. Matsuda then hurried back to the foreigner, who seemed to be debating with a woman in a different language. English? Probably…

They both stopped when he came closer and turned to him. The woman sighed. She seemed very irritated, he could tell.

"You two should get going," he suggested.

"And you?" The woman asked, her accent flawless.

"There are still some people in here," Matsuda replied. He glanced at the door behind the two that lead deeper into the museum. "I can't just leave."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to help," The other man replied. "It'd be suicide to face them on your own."

Matsuda didn't refuse. The man did save his life. The only thing that bothered him was their reluctance to leave. "Ok then… umm…"

"My name is Adam Gardener. Call me Adam," the man replied. He gestured at the woman beside him. "She's Alexia Watson."

"Touta Matsuda," He answered and noticed a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye.

"Get down!" He pushed Alexia to the ground. Loosing his footing, he clumsily fell on the floor. Adam followed. As they ducked behind the counter, bullets whizzed past above their heads. Both men held their gun and tensed. Adam muttered something to Alexia, and then turned to Matsuda.

"I'll distract them, while you both make a run for it," the blond haired man explained. "Alexia will head outside and call for help. You can use the distraction to slip past them and head inside. We'll split up."

"Okay."

They were moving. Matsuda and Alexia started to sprint, while Adam provided cover for them. The investigator then slipped past a door and proceeded to head deeper into the museum.

_Now to look for Kyoshi._

"That was interesting," Ryuk chuckled as he hovered behind him.

"You're still here?" Matsuda asked angrily as he half-sprinted and half-jogged along the corridors. The shinigami didn't answer. That was how it was for the most of it.

He scanned the rooms with a gun at hand and tried to avoid any of the mercenaries as much as he could. Minutes ticked by. He hadn't seen any sign of the boy.

Matsuda began to worry, especially when he came across a certain room. The moment he opened the door, the metallic smell of blood overwhelmed him. He cringed as he saw a dozen people lying in their own pools of blood. He felt anger flaring inside him once again as he crossed the room, checking in vain if there was anyone alive. As he reached the door, time seemed to move slower. He entered a huge hall lined with artworks.

"Kyoshi!"

On the other side was Kyoshi, who was running. The boy then turned to Matsuda upon hearing his name.

BANG!

The sound echoed in his ears. His eyes widened as he saw the boy's body slowly crumple to the ground.

"KYOSHI!"

Matsuda took off. He ran towards the young boy. He rolled, dodged and stumbled while a rain of bullets headed his way.

To be continued…


	5. Desperation

_Author's note: REALLY sorry for the delay… I got grounded… :( Looong story… Anyway… XD So, I've decided to draw random scenes from this fic…Oh, and chapter covers:) I already posted some of them on I'm not that good at it, but I sorta felt inspired to do so. :D_

**Chapter 5: Desperation**

It was all a blur. He'd scooped Kyoshi from the floor and had ducked—crashed behind a column. Glass exploded everywhere and into splinters that pricked his skin. A barrage of sounds rang in his ears that made his head spin.

Matsuda held the boy close to him with one arm while he gripped the gun firmly with his other hand. Pressing his back against the pillar, the investigator took in quivering breaths of air. He painfully waited for his chance, his chance to get away.

When the gunfire lessened, he sprinted to the door and burst into another hallway. Almost losing his balance, he slammed the door shut and continued to run, adrenaline coursing through his entire body.

_Run dammit! RUN!_

The thunderous sounds of footsteps and more firing filled the air. Fortunately, he was well into another room when he had heard them… although, that didn't stop him from running.

Matsuda didn't have the slightest clue as to where he was. The museum was huge and this was his first time here. His sense of direction was also gone after what he'd been through. He might be running in circles… or to a dead end.

"Mister?" Kyoshi's voice came almost as a hoarse whisper amidst all the noise. Pushing his thoughts aside, he turned his attention to the boy. That was when he began to notice something warm dripping from his hand.

_Oh God, no…_

He felt panic slowly creeping into him. Looking around, he opened the nearest door and hid inside. Instinctively, his hand searched for the light switch—but he then decided against it. It'd be easier to hide in the dark. Matsuda moved past rows and rows of shelves in place that looked like a storage room. As he headed towards the end of the room, he turned and walked between two shelves filled with artefacts and settled there

"Kyoshi?" The investigator carefully laid the boy down. "Are you still with me?"

The boy merely nodded.

"Hang in there, okay?" Matsuda's words trembled as he searched for something—anything that he could use. The boy was going to bleed to death! He needed to get him out. He needed to get him to a hospital. He needed the wound treated as soon as possible. He needed to save him.

"Kyoshi?"

The boy did not respond.

"C'mon, stay with me!" The officer begged.

Footsteps echoed.

Matsuda's heart pounded against his ribcage as he turned and strained to hear. Maybe there were two or three of them. The sound of their boots only grew louder and louder as they got closer to the entrance. It was deafening in the deathly silence. He stared at the door hoping, praying that they wouldn't open it, and then just as they reached it—they walked right past. The man let out a sigh of relief.

"Mister…" He felt a soft tug at his sleeve that made him jump a little. Upon turning, the investigator had to try and swallow the dread that he felt when he saw the wound again. It was bad.

"Don't worry," Matsuda didn't want his voice to shake as much as he felt. Trying to sound as calm as he could, he replied. "I swear, I'm going to get you out of here."

The boy smiled weakly at him.

"I'm going to have to carry you again, okay?" He softly said. Looking back at the entrance, he contemplated whether the armed men would be gone or not. "We have to get outside and get you to a hospital. Just bare with me for now."

Matsuda didn't get a reply. Turning to Kyoshi once again, he saw that the boy seemed to stare numbly at the floor as he lay still against the wall.

"Kyoshi," the investigator placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, uncertain.

"Mister…" Kyoshi's frail voice came again. He slowly lifted his hand, his bloody fingers wrapped around something. Matsuda hesitated, unsure of what the child was doing. "I… want you… to have…thi-this…"

Uncurling his fingers, he dropped something into Matsuda's hand. It took the investigator a moment to comprehend what it was, and when he did, he saw that it was the eagle keychain that he had returned. The once silver object was now covered with a dark crimson color.

"Don't give up on me now!" Matsuda exclaimed as he held the boy up in an attempt to keep him awake.

"You're going to make it," he lied, probably more to himself. They both knew that it was impossible now. The boy was not going to make it. "Please… just hold on…"

"Thank you…" the boy whispered, his smile slowly fading as he closed his eyes…

He was gone.

"Kyoshi…?"

_No way… This is not happening…_

Matsuda felt his throat constrict. His insides knotted and he had held his breath. Staring at the now lifeless body, a small part of him struggled to accept it, but the rational part in him knew that the boy had passed away.

"Kyoshi…?" The officer asked as he waited for an answer he knew would never come. Tightening his grip on the gun and the keychain, he gritted his teeth. The man lowered his head and stared at the ground, struggling to control the emotions that were overwhelming him.

_WHY?_

Time seemed to have stopped. Kyoshi was gone, death by loss of blood. There wasn't anything he could do and Matsuda knew that all too well. Being in this job, he'd seen enough deaths to know that.

As silence surrounded the room, a dark and looming figure stood still behind him, observing everything. It made no attempt to move, until it heard something.

"They're going," Ryuk simply said. Matsuda knew that the creature was awaiting his reply. He'd heard it too. The mercenaries that had passed by a few moments ago were now walking back and telling each other that 'it's time to go'.

"I know," the officer replied. Taking one last look at Kyoshi, he stood up, gun in one hand, while he placed the keychain into his pocket with the other.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered to the boy, and then strode towards the door.

"You're going after them," Ryuk spoke again, with a hint of astonishment. It wasn't a question. Matsuda though, didn't reply.

The investigator then broke into a dash. He headed outside and for the double doors at the other end where he'd heard the echoes of their footsteps. It was then that he heard the sound of a vehicle roaring to life. The sound was from the other side of the door.

He ran faster. When he got past the doors, he saw a parking lot… and a van that was prepared to go. The armed men near and inside the vehicle turned his way—and started shooting. Ducking behind a car, Matsuda cursed under his breath as he held still.

"You idiots!" the driver called out. "The cops are almost here!"

"I don't care! He'll pay for what he did!"

"Don't forget what we came here for," one of them warned. "We have what we need. Now, get in!!!"

"Yeah, just give me a sec!" The other one replied back. Upon hearing this, more shots were fired towards the car Matsuda hid behind. Tensing, he prepared himself to run for a new cover. Taking a chance, he darted towards another car and saw that one of them was after him.

He sprinted with what energy he had left. When he got to another car, the investigator lost his balance and almost tripped again. Supporting himself by leaning against the car's tyre, he paused and held his head in his hand. Only then did he notice that his vision seemed hazy.

"We're leaving, NOW," the driver commanded, his voice clearly cutting through the noise.

"But—"

"NOW!" The driver shouted. Silence… then he heard the van's door slamming shut.

_No…_

Without even thinking, Matsuda rushed out from hiding and started shooting at the van. The vehicle sped off and out of the parking lot. He tried to aim for the wheels, but it was already too far. With trembling hands, Matsuda kept shooting anyway until his gun clicked empty.

_I can't just let them get away with this!_

Frustration overwhelmed him as he gaped unbelievingly at the direction the vehicle went. They were gone, and he'd done nothing to stop them. He'd done nothing.

_Useless… Why am I so useless!?!?_

As if in a daze, Matsuda let the gun slip from his hands and onto the floor. At that moment, another car sped past the investigator, stirring the air. He couldn't see who it was, and frankly, he didn't care.

Soon, the sounds of sirens filled the air. He was then met with a sea of confusion and activity as a couple of police cars, along with a couple of ambulances arrived. Some parked in front of the museum, while some were at the back where he was. Matsuda had approached one of the cops.

"Is anyone in pursuit of a van that just left this location?" He asked in an edgy tone.

"Umm, excuse me?"

"Is anyone in pursuit of a van that just left this location?" He asked again, this time, with a little less patience. He felt rather lightheaded and out of breath, and this was making it worse.

"What seems to be the problem?" Another cop came.

"The group of men who ATTACKED this museum were in that van that just left, dammit!" The investigator exploded, his voice trembling. "I was asking if anyone's at least in pursuit!"

"Sir, calm down—"

"I AM CALM—"

"Well, we're doing everything in our power to look for them," the cop who just came replied. "For now, I think we should get one of the medics to take a look at you."

"I'm fine," Matsuda snapped back, though it didn't sound as confident as he'd hope. A few black blotches began to appear and add to his already hazy vision now. Turning, he started to walk away, more black spots appearing every step he took.

"Hey!" The cop called out in concern.

"Uh, you might want to listen to him," Ryuk commented. "You don't look so well, pal."

"Don't… call me PAL," Matsuda muttered—and then collapsed as the ground rushed up to meet him.

To be continued…


	6. The Point of No Return

**Chapter 6: The Point of No Return**

It felt weird at first. It was like being under water. He couldn't move, he couldn't even tell where he was. Everything around him seemed so distant, like the muffled voices that he occasionally heard. It was like he was… floating.

Gradually though, as he waited in this unknown void, the voices were becoming more coherent, clear. The more he heard them, the more heavy he felt, the more tired he got. He didn't want to wake up, but there was a feeling that seemed to tug at him. Something he needed to do.

Then, he opened his eyes.

The first thing Matsuda saw was the white ceiling. Confused, he tried to sit up. He couldn't though. Everything, his whole body just ached the moment he tried. Settling, he began to wonder what had happened.

"You're awake!" An astonished voice came from beside him. He turned to look and saw that it was his friend, Ide. The other officer was standing by his bedside. "You got us all worried."

That was not the only thing that he had noticed. He had also glimpsed some movement in the corner, and then frowned inwardly upon realizing who it was.

"So, you finally decided to wake up, huh? What a relief. It was getting quite boring. Ku ku ku…" Ryuk chuckled as he hovered behind Ide. Matsuda then decided to pay no attention to the annoying Death god.

"Uh… What happened?"

"Well, when they found you, they said you were in a state of shock," Ide pulled a chair and sat down. "Your head was bleeding too, I might add."

"Was it bad?"

"Hmm, not really… Though… you HAVE lost some blood… Concussion, that's about the worst part of it. A few cuts and bruises…"

"Oh…" Matsuda replied.

"Yeah, don't worry," he added. "You'll be out in a couple of days."

"Sooner I hope…"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

Silence.

"What's wrong?" Ide asked.

"Nothing…" Matsuda answered as he turned his head away.

"Matsuda…"

No response.

"It was not your fault."

Matsuda seemed to tense a little.

_I knew it._

"Look, Matsuda," Ide paused a little looking for the right words. "It was beyond your control. There were eight of them and only one of you! Anyone else—"

"Would've probably done a much better job than me," Matsuda interrupted.

"What?" Ide was taken aback. "Matsuda! IT. WAS. NOT. YOUR. FAULT."

Silence again.

"Dammit, Matsuda. Listen to me!"

Still no response, but the other man continued anyway.

"NO ONE could've done anything about it! The other hostages who got away were actually lucky to have you. It's thanks to you that there's even anyone there who survived."

"Sure…"

Ide sighed in exasperation.

"They got us Matsuda… The tip about the bombings, well, they were real and there wasn't a thing the police force could do to stop it."

"What?" Now it was Matsuda's turn to be surprised. He almost forgot about the bombings. He tried as best as he could to sit up, but only accomplished to prop himself up with his elbow. "Oh no… What happened?!"

Ide grimaced. He contemplated on whether to answer it or not, since his friend was already stressed as it was. "I'm sorry... Just leave it."

"Ide!"

"You are in no condition to worry about this, okay? Just stay put for now until you've recovered." He had stood up and was already at the door.

"But—"

"Matsuda," Ide paused, his hand at the doorknob. The man sighed again, probably his millionth one for the day. "Get well."

Matsuda was ready to get up and go after him, but when Ide opened the door, another visitor was already there.

"Matsuda-san!"

"Sayu? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"To visit you of course!" Sayu smiled. She entered the room, just as Ide got out. When the door slammed shut, she continued. "No classes you see…"

"Oh…"

"I came as soon as I got a call from Ide that you were here," Sayu said as she sat down on the chair beside the bed. Matsuda had also settled back. Moving too much was wearing him out really fast. "I was really worried… Especially when no one could reach you during the bombings. Ide called to see if you were with me, but you weren't. No one knew where you were."

"The bombings… What happened?" Matsuda asked, still persistent to know what had happened.

"Umm… The city… well, was bombed at a lot of places." Sayu quietly answered. "And well… a lot of people…"

"Died…" What a stupid question. Of course people died. He just didn't want to face the truth until he heard it from someone. Matsuda closed his eyes as if he was tired. Well, the truth was he WAS tired of everything. All these attacks, all the crime…all the innocent people dying. He was sick of it.

Then, an image of Kyoshi flashed in his mind. The officer winced. "Why is this happening?"

Sayu looked up. Upon seeing the man's upset features, she felt even more depressed. His melancholic voice drifted through the air, carrying a question that reflected exactly what she felt. She didn't know what to say, though. She didn't know how to make him feel any better because she herself felt lost.

"Matsuda-san…" The girl decided to break the silence. She knew how much Matsuda was affected by this. He was probably thinking about what had happened. "Please don't think too much of it… You did the best you could—everyone did. But for now… I want you to take care of yourself first."

"Sayu… I'm sorry…. But I can't…" Matsuda replied. He felt himself thinking a lot clearer. "When the bombings happened… I could hear the explosions from the museum, but they seemed far away..."

The man paused, as if he had just realized something. Something just clicked. It felt like he was almost done putting all the pieces in the puzzle together.

"From what you said, there was more than one location that was hit by a bomb, yes?"

Sayu nodded.

"Don't you think it's strange that despite the number of places that were hit, none of them were near the museum?" The officer faced Sayu. He'd never felt this sure ever since well… ever since he trusted Light…

_Not the right time for that…_

Shaking his thoughts away, Matsuda continued. "Not once did I hear an explosion that was close."

The girl looked at him as what the man was saying dawned on her.

"You mean…"

"It's too much of a coincidence! Armed mercenaries, hired guns—raiding the museum searching for something while distant bombings occur—"

"—to distract the police…" Sayu finished. The two stared at each other until moment has passed.

"I need to tell them," Matsuda tried to sit up in vain. His injuries were preventing him.

"Matsuda-san! Just calm down!" She tried to make him relax. "You're still hurt! You can't just—"

"But they have to know!"

"Then here," the girl handed out her phone. "You can call them with this."

"I—but—"

"You can't just get up and go! You're still hurt!"

"I need to help!"

"And you will! You can tell them from here!" Sayu urged, but Matsuda wasn't willing to back down.

"I'm not going to just wait here for those men to be caught! Please Sayu! This is MY responsibility! I let them get away!"

"It wasn't your fault! You did your best."

"And it wasn't enough," Matsuda sighed. He sat up, wincing. "I need to go."

Then he paused, unable to move. The girl had wrapped her arms around him.

"Sayu…?"

"Just once. Please, just this once," she pleaded. "PLEASE, just put all your responsibilities to others aside and worry about yourself first for a change, okay?"

"Sayu I…" He looked for the right words to say… but nothing. Giving up, he began to calm down. "Ok."

---

For the rest of the day, he couldn't help but fidget. It wasn't easy for him to stay put. He kept on seeing the faces of those who had died…

_Kyoshi…  
_

Those damned bastards…

"You knew…"

"Hmm?" Ryuk turned.

"You saw it didn't you… How much time he had left…" Matsuda said as he stared at the bloodstained keychain that he held.

"Yes."

"Dammit…" The officer glared at the shinigami.

"I wasn't allowed to tell you," Ryuk shrugged.

Matsuda sighed in exasperation. He looked up at the ceiling, then at the window. The sun was setting. It painted the sky vibrantly as it made its last farewell. The man then looked back at the keychain he was holding.

---

A few days had passed when he was released from the hospital. He was then included in the investigation team that would track the mercenaries. Apparently, the Kanto region of Japan has been put under a State-of-Emergency for the past few days. That was why even now, schools and some businesses were still closed. That didn't make the investigation any easier though.

Until that fateful evening…

RINNGGGGGG!!!!!

"Hello?" Matsuda took his new phone from his desk. He'd just arrive home after visiting Sayu and her mother. "Oh, Ide! What's up?"

'_Matsuda! Turn you television on right now at channel 7!_'

"What?"

'_Just do it!_'

Unsure, Matsuda turned his phone off, shrugged and then decided to check what his friend was talking about. He picked up the remote and turned the TV on. The screen flickered to life as he wondered what got Ide all worked up. Surfing through the channels, he stopped when he arrived at the right one—

—and froze.

Pictures of a group of men appeared on what seemed to be a news report. Pictures of eight men with their names underneath. It almost seemed unreal… It was unbelievable. It was almost as if… 

"No way…" the man continued to gape at the screen as the news reporter carried on.

'_—breaking news. An anonymous file was sent to us containing a list of suspects who are believed to be responsible for the bombings—'_

He recognized them… every single one.

"I can't believe this…" He whispered to himself. "This is just…"

Nothing else came out after that. Not a single word. Ryuk stared at him, waiting for a response.

He closed his eyes and then sat down. Opening them again, he caught a glimpse of the bloodstained keychain that lay on the table, a reminder of what had happened… It was a reminder of that tragedy—a reminder of the peoples whose lives were taken from them. It was a reminder of the innocent child that was murdered—and a reminder of how cruel and rotten people could be.

He gave the television one last glance—then grabbed his pen and the Death Note.

To be continued…


	7. Kira vs L

_Author's note: Sorry for the delay… Got banned again… Specifically on writing my stories. But it's ok now:D I'm about to finish high school this week so it'd be easier to work on my fic now:D_

**Chapter 7: Kira vs. L **

"Mr. President," a man called out from behind him. "You have a call sir."

"Hmm? Put it through to my office."

The man nodded once and briskly walked away. Without a moment's delay, the president of the United States of America excused himself from the group of people he'd been talking to and entered his office. He picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

_'Mr. President.'_

"Oh, yes. I've been expecting you."

_'I believe that you are fully aware of the situation and the reason why I have called.'_

"Of course. You have my full support. I've already contacted the agents that you've listed. They're on their way. If there is anything else that you need, just tell me."

_'Much appreciated.'_

"And… If you wouldn't mind me asking… Is this… the same person as before?"

_'No sir, the chances of that would be nil.'_

"I see."

'Sir, this operation is confidential. I expect no one outside of our loop to learn anything about it—unless I say so. A single mistake could prove fatal.'

"I understand. Well, then I wish you the best, L."

'Thank you Mr. President.'

---

Aizawa was really edgy this morning. Who could blame him? Everyone knew why. It was because Kira was back—or to be more accurate, there is a new Kira. After all the hard work they'd done to capture Light, a new one just had to pop out of nowhere. The killing had started 3 days ago. More than a hundred criminals had already died of a heart attack.

Ryuk chuckled.

"What?" Matsuda asked as he drove on to his destination. The shinigami didn't reply though.

It felt awkward at first, but he was getting used to the idea of a shinigami following him around. He was also getting used to the idea of being the owner of the Death Note… that it scared him sometimes…

The first few days had been… well it wasn't among the best. After writing the mercenaries' names down, he couldn't sleep that night. No, it wasn't out of fear, though. Surprisingly, it was out of anticipation. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he was sure that was how he felt. Unfortunately though, there was no way of confirming if they were dead.

_Of course they're dead… Just like the other criminals whose names I've written down…_

"Hey Ryuk…" Matsuda started. Something's been bugging him… "Are you going to kill me too if I get caught?"

"What?"

"I mean… you killed Light…" He felt stupid for only bringing this up now. "You wrote his name down… Was it part of some sort of deal because he used the Death Note?"

"OH!" Ryuk chuckled. "THAT. Well, do you really want to know?"

The investigator frowned. He could already imagine Ryuk's deathly grin. "Yeah…"

The death god laughed to himself a little more.

"I'm gonna regret this, aren't I?" Matsuda cringed.

"Aww, c'mon. Don't be like that," Ryuk snickered. The creature was now at the passenger's seat. "Well yes, you could call it a _deal_. Then again… it was more of a 'heads up'. But it really depends on my mood, you know."

"Your… _mood_," the man raised his eyebrows. "So you killed Light because you _felt_ like killing him?"

"Ku ku ku… Yeah, pretty much. I got bored. He got caught and asked for my help. I told him I'd be the one to kill him when it's over," Ryuk answered with a toothed grin. He felt like he was talking to the devil. "But don't worry, your situation's a bit different. You won't have to worry about that any time soon."

"What? What do you mean?"

"You'll see…"

"Ryuk…" Matsuda glanced at the shinigami, irritated.

"Oh, lookie! We're here… Ku ku ku…"

Matsuda sighed exasperatedly as he slowed the car to a stop. "So… You'd be the one to kill me when I get caught… That's very comforting."

"Hey, you were the one that asked."

"Anything else that I should know about?"

"Yeah… tons… but we'll get to that later," the death god flashed an evil smile. "By the way, don't think that any human who's used the Death Note can go to heaven or hell."

Matsuda paused. Ryuk turned to stare at the officer, grinning. "You could still change your mind, pass the death note and forget about the whole thing."

The man looked away.

"No," he firmly replied as he stepped out of the car. "I'd expected something like that anyway…"

---

There were two things that he first noticed from the list. First of all, it seemed like this person wanted to continue the original Kira's work. Secondly, he could not see any other distinguishable pattern than that… for the moment—he's getting there.

L lay on the floor surrounded by his toys, his eyes scanning the pieces of paper before him. Whoever this person was… he or she was most probably one of Kira's "followers"… or at least someone who agreed with Kira's methods. Every single person on the list had criminal charges. He'd also checked any of the recent accidents, but none of them seemed to connect… He checked the first person on the list. The person was a well-known criminal. A lot of people around the world would've wanted him dead.

The list was so… generic. Anyone could've done it…—WAIT.

Near looked through the list again, his eyes darting across each page. It WAS too generic… Like this person knew what the risks were of making it personal… And all the deaths… just heart attacks… No weird experiments to test out the Death Notes' extent….

He paused. He could think of two possibilities for the moment. It was either this person, for some unknown reason at the moment, knew what the Death Note was capable of and didn't need any further "experiments" or…

"Or this person just had luck on his side and will probably do something idiotic soon," Near concluded, frowning.

---

"You think Near's already investigating?" Matsuda wondered out loud. He propped his feet up the table and folded his arms. He didn't really intend to direct the question to anyone, but some felt obligated to answer.

"I have no doubt about that," Ide replied. "And it's 'L'."

It was Matsuda's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"What are you worried about?" Ryuk's voice came from behind him. It was a startling and uncomfortable thing at first, seeing something that others don't. He did get used to it, though. He had to. Ryuk's not one to shut his mouth even at places like these. "You've seen him… Ku ku ku… And you know his real name."

The officer sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ide asked.

"I dunno… it's just that… I just can't help but wonder… When's it going to end?"

Ide snickered.

"What?"

"Someone's being melodramatic," his friend replied. "Matsuda… If worst comes to worst… Well, if we had to choose whether to join this case… or not… Whatever decision you might make, we'll understand, ok?"

"Look who's being melodramatic now," Matsuda teased, snickering.

"_Ha ha_, very funny," Ide said sarcastically. He waved his hand in defeat. "Sigh, whatever."

The other man laughed a little more. He unfolded his arms and placed his hands behind his head. Another moment passed.

"Hey, Ide."

"What?"

"Would _you_ join the case?"

"Hmm…" Ide thought for a second. "To tell you the truth, I still have some doubts, BUT if it does come to that… I would."

"Haha… I can't say I didn't expect that."

"In any case, we might not even be needed," the officer continued. "I mean, what are the chances that the owner of the Death Note is here in Japan?"

"Yeah," Matsuda said. _You have no idea…_

"Kukuku… Pretty great acting pal," the death god commented. "Not bad. I wonder what Light would've said."

He frowned, a subconscious reaction. He didn't really like the way Ryuk's been comparing him to Light. It didn't feel right, one way or the other. He wasn't like Light. He would NEVER betray his friends. He would not use them and he would certainly never harm them.

SLAM!

"Guys!" Yamamoto burst into the room. "We found them!"

"What?"

"The mercs! We know where they are!"

"You serious?!?" Ide exclaimed.

"Yeah! Well—it's not exactly what we e—expected but—well—"

"What???"

"They're—uh—dead! All of them!"

"WHAT?!"

"Are you sure?!" Matsuda interjected.

"Yeah!" Yamamoto exclaimed.

"What happened?!"

"They… all had heart attacks."

Silence.

"Kira…" Matsuda breathed out.

"What are we waiting for?!" Ide impatiently said. "Let's go!"

---

"L!"

The boy looked up, expressionless and stopped. His eyes staring blankly at the huge man who'd just arrived. "What is it Lester?"

"We've just received a report," Lester replied, handing a file to Near. "This is a list of a group of mercenaries who were found dead."

"Heart attack?"

"Yes, all of them."

"Kira…" Near began to look through the files. A few things caught his eye. "Was this information retrieved just now?"

"Yes."

"According to this, it appears the bodies were left there for quite some time before they were discovered…" The boy continued his search through the files. "Hmm… That's interesting…"

"Huh?"

"I believe we have a lead."

---

"Near's bound to know by now," Matusda said as soon as he got back into his apartment, away from the rest of the task force. He flopped down onto the bed, a little satisfied for today, knowing that those stupid mercs were dead. Unfortunately… "He'd know about the mercenaries, and how they were the first people I killed."

"Ku ku ku… Still worried about that?"

"Uh, yeah," the officer answered in an 'as a matter of fact' tone. "I'm not exactly a genius."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, compared to Light—great! I can't believe— augh!" Matsuda slapped his forehead in annoyance, and sighed exasperatedly. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation…"

"You don't want to be like Light?"

"No—yes—well that's not it! I just…" His voice trailed off as he looked for the proper answer. He liked Light and considered him as a friend. He _admired_ the boy…but ever since Ryuk… Well, it seemed like there was this whole other side that he never knew about… a clever, but darker side. "I don't know much about how Near thinks… I can only do as far as what I've seen from L or Light."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"The only reason why Light let it go that far was because he didn't know L's name and he'd never seen his face." Ryuk smiled his dark evil smile. "You on the other hand… I don't understand… You've seen him and you know his name. Why not get rid of him now?"

Matsuda remained silent… and hesitated…

_Should I…?_

An image of a boy came into mind. His blank stare, his expressionless face underneath that messy white hair…

_Nate River._

To be continued…


	8. The Investigation

**Chapter 8: The Investigation**

"He's here," Aizawa simply answered. Everyone gaped at him, clearly taken by surprise. "And L wants us to help."

"What?!" Yamamoto exclaimed, standing up from where he sat. His voice was filled with excitement and fear. "Are you serious?! Kira—he's here in Japan?!"

"That's impossible!" Ide said. The new Kira was in Japan? Again?

"Are you sure?" Matsuda asked. Aizawa nodded.

"L wants to meet us tonight and discuss the case."

---

"For the last time, NO," the officer replied to the persistent creature. "As much as I hate Near, I won't kill him."

"But he's already figured out where you are," Ryuk reasoned. "You'll get caught."

"No, Ryuk. I'm not writing his name down," he said. "If I did, then I'll just be as bad as Light… And besides, only a few people know his real name. It would all lead back to me too if I killed him."

"But you COULD make it look like some accident."

"Oh, wow… L suddenly dies of an accident in the middle of the Kira case. Don't you think that's a little too suspicious?"

"Huh, that is true…"

"What's it to you anyway? You seem really… worried about this," Matsuda observed, eyeing the death god suspiciously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the shinigami shrugged and didn't say a word after that.

It was almost time. Matsuda had driven back to the building where the meeting with L and the rest of the task force was. It was all too soon. He wasn't sure what to expect. He'd never done something like this before. How far was Near into his investigation? Has he narrowed the suspects down?

_And what should I do when it comes to that?_ The man thought to himself as he entered the building. _I can't take him head on._

"Oy! Matsuda!" Ide called out as he rushed to catch up.

"Oh hey!" Matsuda greeted, quickly covering his anxiety. He put on a cheerful smile. "Excited much?"

"Ha, more like nervous," his friend replied. "Are you taking the case?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"What are you talking about? Of course you do!" Ide said. "And don't worry, I'll back you up whatever decision you take."

"Thanks," Matsuda replied as they both waited for the elevator. "But chances are, I'd join this case."

"And why is that?"

"Because you guys need someone to cheer you up," he replied, laughing to himself as they stepped into the elevator. "I mean it'd be boring not having me around!"

"Ha ha, very funny," the other man slowed for a split second, a little surprised and at the same time, relieved with Matsuda's sudden cheerfulness. It reminded him of the old Matsuda, the one before the Kira case had ended, which made him smile a bit. He missed that happy-go-lucky attitude of his.

When they arrived, everyone was there. The communication link was already set up, with the TV screen displaying the letter "L". As soon as everyone sat down, L began the meeting.

'_Gentlemen,_' L's distorted voice started. '_I have reason to believe that the new Kira is in Japan.'_

'It is because of this circumstance that I decided to ask you for your help. Now, before we continue this discussion, I would like to know if everyone in this room is willing to work on this case.'

At this, everyone quickly glanced at Matsuda, as if waiting for his reply. A look of surprise seemed to cross his face for a second, and then disappeared, replaced by a shy but reassuring smile. He nodded.

"We're all willing to take this case," Aizawa said, answering for everybody.

'_Very well, then.'_

A couple of files and pictures appeared on the screen, replacing L's sign. Everyone recognized them. Who wouldn't? It was that tragic day…

"What's the meaning of this?" Aizawa asked. The last image appeared and displayed the pictures of the mercenaries that were killed.

'_These people, without a doubt, are Kira's first victims. This is where we will start.'_

"Actually, in our investigation, we've uncovered some information that may link these mercenaries to a worldwide company known as the Daylight Corporation. They were most probably connected to the ones who sent the information about the mercenaries to the TV station that released the pictures," Yamamoto said. "The Daylight Corporation may be somehow linked to Kira."

_'Yes, I've already taken that into account,' _Near replied_. ' But I believe if Kira was somehow connected to the corporation and wanted to kill these certain criminals, then he would've just killed them outright without the broadcasting. He'd most likely want to keep it under wraps, without leaving anything for the police force to link the mercenaries and the broadcast back to the corporation. Therefore Kira is probably not from the Daylight Corporation, or in any way linked or connected to them.'_

"But what if Kira just wanted to make a distraction?" Ide countered.

Aizawa agreed. "Yeah, by broadcasting that information to the whole of Tokyo, the very place that was attacked by the mercenaries, it made it possible for Kira to be among the people in Tokyo who just wanted revenge."

"Yeah, I mean, wasn't it too convenient for that information to just pop out, and for "Kira" to suddenly make an appearance?" Matsuda commented. "There's still a possibility of him being connected to that corporation."

'That itself makes it too convenient for us. Why would the Daylight Corporation expose people that they've hired and risk selling them out if the police had caught them first? It's not like they'll have Kira to clean the mess up. Otherwise it'd only- '

"Exactly my point!" Ide said. "That would then mean that Kira IS from the Daylight Corporation. How else would Kira's timing be perfect?"

'On the contrary, it would only lead straight back to them.'

"But by broadcasting it to the whole of Tokyo, it'd only make more suspects." Matsuda said.

'But that won't be enough to get them off of the list, because we would still suspect the Corporation. No, I don't think Kira works for the Daylight Corporation. All of the deaths so far did not make them profit in any way. There is, however, a possibility that a close enemy of the Corporation was responsible for the information about the mercenaries to leak out.'

"Are you saying that Kira could be an enemy of the Daylight Corporation?" Aizawa asked.

'No, all I'm saying is that someone else besides the Daylight Corporation was responsible for the information leak that allowed Kira to claim his first victims. And besides, I don't think this new Kira is some businessman planning to profit from the Death Note… I have a feeling that he is somewhat just like Light Yagami…'

'Someone with a god complex, a crazy mass murderer and nothing more.'

---

"So, what do you think?" Ryuk asked as soon as they got home.

"What? About Near? Ryuk, for the last time—"

"I know, I know. I wasn't asking about that," The death god replied. "I was asking if you think he knows more than what he was telling."

"Seriously? I have no idea," Matsuda said as he kicked his shoes off and rested on his bed. He yawned, grabbed the Death Note and started scribbling names down. "Maybe."

"Aren't you a bit nervous about all of this?" Ryuk questioned. "It's like you don't even care."

"And it's like you care too much," Matsuda countered, getting a little agitated. He wasn't sure why he was like this, but maybe it was because of something Near had said about him. It struck a nerve. "You weren't this fidgety about all of this when you were with Light. Why the hell do you care so much now? Hell, you've got nothing to lose."

The shinigami fell silent once again. Odd… Was there something else Ryuk wasn't telling him? Then again, it wouldn't be the first. The officer sighed.

"Besides, I have no intention of doing anything to anyone within the task force. I swore only to kill criminals, so anyone else is off limits." Matsuda said offhandedly.

"You're making it sound as if it were that easy," Ryuk commented grimly. "What if that kid starts sending agents to stalk you?"

"Then I'll just have to find a way around that, huh?"

"Even Light had a hard time with that," the shinigami countered. "Why do you think he had to kill all the FBI agents?"

"Well, I'm not like him," the officer said in defence almost too quickly. "I'll never be like him."

"Keep telling yourself that," Ryuk chuckled darkly. "Truth is, though, you two are more similar than you think."

---

"What?"

Near turned to the bewildered faces of his little group. A moment of silence settled as he waited for his companions to comprehend what he had just said. It was only a few minutes ago that they had ended their conference with the NPA.

"Are you sure?" Lidner asked once again. She was entirely confused. "I thought the suspect was most probably among the people who were connected to the bombings?"

"Yes, that is true," Near answered.

"Then why do you want us to investigate them? Why the NPA?" she continued.

"It is because there is a 7 chance of one of them being our target," the boy explained.

"But why would you think that? They helped us capture Kira before."

"She's right," Gevanni commented. "If there's anyone who's seriously determined to capture this new Kira, it would be us and them. Why would they even use the Death Note after all they've been through the last time?"

"Revenge," Near said simply. "The bombings may have triggered it."

"They would've known better than to do something as stupid as using the Death Note," Lester said. "Wait… was that why you wanted a conference with them? To see their reactions? To test them?"

Near sighed, but kept on. "Regardless of what you might believe, I think that investigating the five of them would be the best course of action."

"Now," the boy looked at them with a blank cold stare. "I'd like to see the files that I've asked for."

To be continued…

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I had to make sure that my plot didn't have holes in it before I continued this story.


	9. In the Shadows

_Author's note: Lol, this chapter went under so much editing…Oh, and the minor original characters' names here are based on fictional people, so if I offend anyone, I'm sorry and I didn't mean it._

**Chapter 9: In the Shadows**

It's been somewhat… slow. Then again, he was thankful for that. He'd kept his façade perfectly, for now. Unfortunately, he was also getting a little paranoid. He wasn't sure, but he knows that Near would send someone to monitor them the moment he suspects that Kira was someone from the NPA. Heck, he's probably done that by now.

Matsuda made sure not to talk to Ryuk as much anymore, though the shinigami was insisting that no one was there. Maybe it was just paranoia, but then again, he couldn't let his guard down. It'd be suicide to do that.

"Oh, hey Matsuda," Ide greeted. "Could you give this to Aizawa. It's a list of people Kira has recently killed."

"Yeah, sure," Matsuda replied, taking the sheets of paper from his colleague.

"Sorry," Ide continued hesitantly, scratching his head. "I've still got a lot of files to sort through here."

"No prob," Matsuda said offhandedly. He's used to being the errand boy anyway. He actually liked it now, weirdly enough. Then again, it was better than _looking_ for evidences against _Kira_. "Weird…"

He laughed inwardly, shaking his head at the irony of the situation as he walked. It felt ridiculous now… and a little upsetting. He found it hard to pretend—to lie to his closest friends with a straight face. _At least I don't have to deal with Near too. Now THAT would be something else…_

Matsuda cringed at the thought. Having someone watch his every move… how was he going to get around that?? As he walked, a stray thought crossed his mind. _How did Light do it?_

He looked at the screen with the "L" symbol on it. Near's probably watching them right now with that one-way camera that was attached on top of the computer. _What a brat…_

"Here," the officer handed the sheets of paper. "Ide asked me to give these to you."

"Oh, okay."

Silence.

"Yeah… uh, anything new from L?" The younger officer asked… unsure. For some reason, something didn't seem right.

"No… unfortunately," Aizawa responded, putting a bit more weight on his words. He went through the list, while Matsuda observed. The older man looked like he wasn't even paying attention. He then handed the list back without another word.

"Oh… Yeah, well… I guess I better get back to work." Matsuda muttured. _He seemed distracted…_He thought to himself as he walked back to his desk. The young man looked back at Aizawa once again. _Is something bothering him…? _

--

"Umm, L?" Gevanni asked. "L??"

Near did not move. He was still viewing the files about the members of the NPA. So far, it was quite hard to pinpoint who Kira most probably was. The fact that the files on the NPA were hard to look for didn't help either. This was probably because the original L had them erased when they had worked with him. It seemed like the only way to properly investigate them was for him to—

"L," Gevanni persisted.

"What is it?"

"Someone else's been hacking into the NPA's database."

--

_Booooring…_ The investigator yawned. He really didn't know what to do… It was just not the same as it was before. Pausing from his work, the man began to half-heartedly skim through the list of victims that was given back to him. It was the same list of names that he wrote in the death note. The names of the criminals that "Kira" killed. Nothing new—

He froze.

_What?_ Matsuda looked through the list of names again. _That can't be…_

"What is it?" Ryuk asked from behind. "What's wrong?"

"Hey," A voice spoke. Snapping back to the present, the officer turned to face the owner of the voice. It was Yamamoto. "Anything wrong?"

"Uh-nothing," Matsuda replied, recovering quickly.

"You sure? For a second there, you looked a bit…" The other investigator continued, but then decided against it. He waved his hand, smiling apologetically and walked off. "Ah, never mind."

"That was a close call, buddy," the death god commented. "You might want to be a bit more careful next time."

_Whatever…_ Matsuda thought angrily, feeling more and more impatient. He needed to talk to Ryuk as soon as possible.

--

"What do you think?"

"Hmm…interesting," Near commented. "Have you tried tracing it to its source?"

"Yeah," Gevanni replied. "It apparently has been like this for a few weeks now. We also know that it came from somewhere inside Japan with a little more time, I think we'll get an exact fix on their location."

"I see," Near said. "Anything else?"

"Well, I've noticed that they're mostly interested in the same files we've been looking at."

"You mean the files on the case?"

"Yeah, and—"

"The files about the NPA members?"

"Yes," Gevanni put on a grim expression. "I have a bad feeling about this, L."

"Indeed," the boy stood up and approached a monitor. He grabbed a headset and turned it on. "It looks like we'll need some helping hands."

--

"I'm off," Matsuda announced, and with a final wave to his co-workers, he went outside into the rain. He then got into his car and drove off.

"What's with him, lately?" Yamamoto asked Aizawa.

"What do you mean?" Ide intervened.

"I dunno," the younger officer replied. "He seems a bit distracted lately."

"It's probably the case," Ide said as he helped Mogi turn L's connection and monitor off. "He's just still trying to cope with it."

"Uh, yeah…" Yamamoto pretended to shrug it off, but Ide looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

"Is there something on your mind?" the other man persisted.

"Nothing, I'm just saying…"

"Yeah?"

"Knock it off you two," Aizawa rolled his eyes as he made his way out of the building along with the other officers. Right now, he was not in the mood for bickering. The wind was picking up, and the rain was getting harder, making everything look even gloomier, as if his life at the moment wasn't depressing and hopeless enough.

--

"He's looking at you," her friend giggled beside her. Sayu shook her head, laughing as quietly as she could.

"You're lying," she replied, holding her umbrella as close to her as possible so that it wouldn't be blown away.

"I swear he is!" Her friend shouted over the noise of the rain. "Why don't you take a look yourself?"

She peeked behind to see. Across the college grounds, a couple of feet from her stood Kochiro Noshita, looking back at her.

"I told you!" Sayu's friend cheered. "You lucky, lucky girl."

"Oh, give it a rest already Asuka," Sayu replied. "What's the big deal anyway?"

"'What's the big deal'?! He's like the single most hottest guy ever! Everyone's been trying to get his attention!"

"This is silly—"

"Oh, he's here!"

"Who?"

"Your boyfriend, duh," Asuka smiled slyly. "Is this why you've been giving Kochiro the 'cold shoulder'?"

"What are you talking about?" Sayu squinted, trying to see what her friend was talking about. She then beamed when she saw a certain car at the car park.

"Matsuda," Sayu replied happily. She waved at the officer the moment he got out of the car. He waved back cheerfully.

"Awww, you two are sooo cute."

"Cut it out Asuka," she warned, blushing uncontrollably. "He's just a family friend."

"Sure, sure," Asuka said. "Well, see you. My mom's here too."

"Oh, ok. See you."

--

"How's everything going?"

"Great," Sayu replied happily, turning to Matsuda. It hasn't been long since she last saw him, but he doesn't visit as much anymore. "What about you?"

"Haha, I'm fine," Matsuda said, keeping his eyes on the slippery road. "It's just been a little busy at work lately."

"Oh," the girl's smile faded. She just had the strongest sense of déjà vu—and she didn't like it one tiny bit… But she had to know if…she had to know… Sayu looked at him and steeled herself. "You're working on the Kira case again, aren't you?"

Matsuda's smile faltered.

"I knew it."

"I'll be fine," the officer said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Did they force you to?"

"What? No… I volunteered."

"But why?"

"Because I want to see this through until the end."

Sayu glanced out the window. The whole place seemed to grow unbearably colder. She felt her stomach turning into knots. _I already lost dad, big brother, even myself once because of this stupid case. What if I lose Matsuda too?_

--

Aizawa felt like shit. The weather was of no help either. Stupid rain… Sighing, he opened the door that led into his house. He dragged his feet across the living room, not caring even if he dirtied the floor with mud.

Carelessly, he dropped his belongings to the floor. He didn't care though. He didn't care at all. Heck, when he reached the sofa, he just let himself fall on it. He was soaked, and now he's getting the furniture soaked as well, but he didn't care.

Everything felt so dammed cold that it was numbing his senses, but he did not care at all. Aizawa glared at the phone that was left standing on the table. He could no longer bare it. A moment of silence passed… until finally, he shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't believe how he was able to do it, how he was able to stop it. But now—now that he was staring at his empty home, only then did the tears started to flow freely.

--

Sayu silently got out of the car. She didn't even look at him. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her it was all okay. He didn't know she'd take it this hard. "Sayu…"

"Promise me you'll be ok…" She blurted, still not facing him. For a brief moment, a look of surprise flashed across the investigator's face.

"I promise," he said and then gave her a hug. _I'll try._

"Matsuda-san… I…"

"Yeah…?"

"… Nothing… Just take care…"

--

It had been a very silent ride for him. He didn't know how to react. _She's worried… She was worrying for my safety… for me…_

Ryuk 'sat' at the back seat, unmoving. He hasn't said a word since they left the NPA. Matsuda sighed, suddenly remembering why he was in such a rush to get home. He still had some unfinished business…

The moment he was well away from the Yagami household and back inside his room, he faced the shinigami and glared at him accusingly. "What the hell Ryuk?"

"What?"

"Don't "what?" me!" Matsuda snapped. "You know very well what the hell I am talking about!"

"No, not really."

"Augh! The list!" the young man continued, trying as much as he could to control his voice. "Some of the criminals whose names were listed, I didn't kill them. It wasn't me! Someone ELSE did it!"

"Oh, that."

"YEAH."

"Ok, ok, calm down," Ryuk replied. "Ku ku ku, you're just as temperamental as Light at times."

"Get to the point."

"Ok, sure."

"Well??"

"There's a second Death Note."

"You… mean to say…" Matsuda stared in disbelief.

"Why so surprised? It's not like it's never happened before."

"But— why now?! Why didn't you tell me any earlier? Why didn't you tell me that there's a second Kira?!"

"I want you to kill this person."

"W-what?!" The officer stumbled. Was he hearing the shinigami right? "Excuse me?!"

"I want you to kill this person," Ryuk smiled darkly.

"Why?" Matsuda asked in a grave tone.

"Well, it's more of an advice, really… Ku ku ku…" The death god answered. "It's because… she'll be trying to kill you too."

--

_RIIIIIING!!_

Aizawa lifted his head and stared at the infernal phone on the desk. He picked it up.

"Hello."

'_Does L have_ _anything new for me_?' A distorted voice queried.

"No."

'_Sigh, that's a real shame. Keep me updated._'

"What about my family?"

'_They'll be safe, as long as you keep your end of the bargain. So don't try anything stupid._'

"…."

'_I'm only after Kira after all._'

To be continued…


	10. Closer

**Chapter 10: Closer**

"What's the situation?"

'_The whole place's cold. The occupants are long gone,' _the lead agent replied. '_Sir, what should we do?_'

Lester sighed. He looked at L, and waited for a reply. The boy merely nodded. He neither looked annoyed nor dismayed about the current development of this little detour. Whatever it was he thought, it didn't show. The older man pressed the radio button once again. "Search the area. Find anything that may give us an indication of who were in there."

'_Yes, sir!'_

Shutting the radio off, the man turned to L. "What do we do now?"

Near sat down quietly and considered his options. He looked at the video feed and watched as the group of agents investigated the abandoned base. It was an empty apartment, naturally. There was nothing from the ordinary. Unfortunately, there was nobody there too.

_This would complicate things_. The plan would have been simpler if they had found the people who were spying on the NPA. _Why? What was their aim? _He didn't know… there were too many possibilities. What if… it was Kira himself? What if he was looking for more information about the investigation?

_No… That can't be right… _If the new Kira wanted to look for more information about the case, why would he go to the NPA? As far as the world knows, Kira could be anywhere. How would Kira know that he chose to work with the NPA in Japan? The only people who were told of Kira's possible location were the president of the US, his team and the NPA members themselves. _No, the spy is not Kira._

'_Sir, I think we've found something._'

"What is it?" Lester asked, hope slowly creeping back into him.

'_Hair. And it seems like there are a few traces of blood here as well._'

"Good job," he replied. "Call a team of forensics. Keep me posted."

'_Yes, sir._'

"Well, that's a start. What do you think L?"

"We'll continue as planned."

"What? But what about the spy?"

"The spy will be dealt with by the NPA," the boy answered, determined, "while we will deal with the NPA members ourselves."

---

That morning…

"You've got to be kidding me," Ide shook his head in annoyance. He walked across the room to get a closer inspection. Shattered glass covered the floor underneath and near the broken windows of the office. Amidst the shards, there were a couple of rocks. One of them in particular was wrapped in a piece of paper. "Can you believe this?!"

Matsuda tiptoed towards his friend, avoiding as much glass as he could. He said, "Yeah… You'd think they'd be a bit more reasonable by now…" He watched as his friend unwrap the object on the floor. "Kira followers, huh?"

"Yeah," Ide nodded, showing his friend what was written on the sheet. It said: _Those who oppose Kira shall be killed. You guys are next._

Matsuda almost laughed at the irony. He sighed. Well, at least he knew that it was an empty threat. _Unless it was the second Kira…_ "Should we report this to Aizawa?"

"Nah, we expected something like this to happen anyway. And besides… he's already got his hands full," Ide placed the stone back on the ground. Luckily, this wasn't the main office. It'd be such a pain if they had to put up with stuff like these where they worked. He looked around and said, "Well, at least everything else's still intact."

Matsuda walked closer to the broken window, his back turned to his co-worker. He looked down at the mess and grimaced. _This is horrible..._ This wasn't what he wanted. How could they think that this was all he was about? He wouldn't kill a person even if they tried to catch him. He made a promise. He only wanted to eliminate the criminals, after all. Why can't anyone understand?

_RIIIING!!!_

Ide immediately searched his pocket. "Hello? What is it Aizawa?"

There was a moment of silence as Matsuda waited.

"What? How did—huh? Oh… When?... Ok… All of us?… Yeah. Ok, I'll see you there." The man switched his phone off and faced Matsuda. "L wants to meet with us in an hour."

Pause.

"By _meet_, did you mean… like a video conference…. right?"

"No," Ide replied. "Actually, he's going to be there in person."

"Well, well… Isn't this interesting?" Ryuk suddenly commented. "It's about time he showed up, if you ask me."

_Nooooooo… No, no, no, no! Dammit! Great… As if the second Kira wasn't bad enough…_

"Remember that building where you guys used to work in? The one made by the previous L? Well, he asked us specifically to meet there."

The younger man subconsciously frowned at the news, his mind slowly going into panic mode. Ide noticed this, but mistook it as something else.

"C'mon, he's not that bad."

"Right…" Matsuda replied, trying to keep calm. Hopefully, Ide didn't notice. His friend stifled a laugh.

"Well then, I guess we should have this sorted out before we get going."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to be late," Matsuda replied sarcastically.

---

Aizawa didn't know whether this was a turn for the better, or the worse. On one hand, L was able to uncover the fact that someone's been spying on them. He even found a few leads to the person responsible. On the other hand, if L kept on investigating this "spy", it might jeopardize the safety of his family.

He wasn't exactly sure whether this spy and his family's kidnapper were one and the same person, but somehow, it looked like there was a high possibility for that. So now, the real question was: Should he tell L or not?

He didn't know what to do.

Aizawa leaned on one of the tables as L continued the discussion. He couldn't believe that they were in this same building again, working on the Kira case of all things. It seemed so long ago since the time that the previous L had died.

Shoving his hand inside his pockets, he let his gaze wander a bit, glancing occasionally at what his team's reactions were. Everyone seemed to be focused enough. Even Matsuda was listening intently. The younger officer was sitting on a chair, elbows on the table, his head propped up with his hand.

"From now on," Near continued, "this building will be the base of our operations. Everything connected to the Kira case will be investigated and dealt with here. Lester, Gevanni, Lidner and I will live here. However, it is not advisable for any of you to do the same since this might alert the spy."

"What about the rest of the investigation group?" Yamamoto asked. "Don't tell me we're the only ones investigating."

"There are a couple of groups and a Special Forces team who are willing to support us—but only if the need arises," the boy answered. "Other than that, there will be no other people joining this case."

"What? Why?"

"From past experience, and I believe that most people in this room would agree with me, I found that it was best to keep the investigation group small when it came to cases like these," Near explained. "A huge group would only slow the investigation down, cause information leak and even make us more vulnerable to attacks."

Yamamoto looked at the others for confirmation. Aizawa nodded.

"Any other questions?" The boy waited a bit. When he was sure that no one was going to say anything, he continued. "Good. Now, let's begin."

Revealing a list, he began assigning everyone with a task for the day. The SPK—well, ex-SPK—members, and the NPA members were separated into groups. Gevanni and Mogi were assigned to the building's security and were told to check if everything was in working order—especially now that they knew that there was a spy. Yamamoto and Lidner were assigned to handling the problem about said spy. Lester, Aizawa and Ide were assigned to sort through the information they've collected about Kira so far.

---

"Uh… What about me…?" Matsuda asked, feeling the strongest sense of Déjà vu. "What can I do to help?"

He looked at Near, and for a moment, he thought he could see L, the raven haired detective who had died in this very same room years ago. It unnerved him a bit. Sure, some time ago, it wouldn't have bothered him so much; being in this same building with L—the new L, while working on the Kira case once again. However, the circumstances have changed. It was very unsettling… to see history repeating itself once again— only this time, he was one of the major players. He was _Kira_.

Snapping back to the present, he held the young boy's gaze and tried as much as he could to look… well, normal. Okay, that was probably not the right word. What Matsuda meant was that he tried to act like his normal self as much as he could, especially since Near was staring at him in deep thought. It reminded him too much of L—when he was scrutinizing every single move that Light had made. _Does he already know?_

"Matsuda-san," the boy said, "I'd like you to help me unload some of my belongings. Lester finished transporting them upstairs. I just need your help with the unpacking."

"Uh, ok…?" The officer was caught off guard with the odd request, but decided to just go along with it. He followed Near, as the boy led him to another room on the same floor. "So you're going to live here?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Are you sure it's safe? I mean, what if we get attacked?" The man asked. "Wouldn't it be safer if you moved hotels, like what L used to do?"

"Yes, I've taken that into account," Near replied as they entered the room. "However, I believe that that would be a waste of time. Besides, we've upgraded the security system. The only way someone could attack us, is that if we let them."

Matsuda gave up arguing with him. He focused at the task at hand and surveyed the stacks of boxes that were neatly piled in the room. "So uh… which box first?"

"This one." Near pointed at the nearest box and looked at him. "Be very careful. Make sure you handle the contents with great care."

The man nodded. He then opened the first box—and paused in confusion.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Nea—I mean L, this box… is filled with _toys_…"

---

A few hours before the meeting with the NPA members…

"They are a close group, hence why I cannot have a one-on-one interview with each of them. It might arouse their suspicions," Near explained. "The best course of action is for us to investigate the NPA through observation."

"So, who do you have in mind first?" Lidner asked.

Near looked at them blankly and said, "No one in particular, to tell you the truth. I have, however, compiled a list of tasks that will allow each of us to have at least one subject to observe."

---

Near watched as his first subject, Matsuda Touta, carefully unpacked his belongings. The man carefully opened the first box—and looked hesitantly at the contents inside.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Nea—I mean L, this box… is filled with _toys_…"

"Yes," the boy answered, not sure what the problem was. Matsuda stared at him for a moment longer, looking like he wanted to say something—then shrugged. The officer decided to concentrate on what he was told to do, no questions asked. Near, however, decided to use this as an opportunity to open a conversation. "Why? Do you find it strange?"

"What?" the man asked. He faced Near, then looked at the toys, and then shrugged again. He gave a friendly smile. "Well, not really… In a way, I guess it sorta makes sense."

"Is that so?"

"Well, y'know what I mean," Matsuda explained. "L, well the previous one, was very fond of sweets, and I thought it sorta made sense why you, the new L, love toys… and… umm… ah, nevermind." The man's voiced trailed off unsurely. He then gave Near an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"On the contrary," the white haired boy answered. "I believe you do have a point there, Mr. Matsuda."

"Oh." The man stopped. He seemed surprised with the boy's answer, and was waiting for an explanation. However, nothing came.

---

Matsuda had no idea where this conversation was going. He had no idea at all. It seemed too weird and unnatural for the boy to eagerly keep it up, unless… maybe he was being observed?

Yeah, probably…

Though he shouldn't let it bother him.

_Or maybe I'm being paranoid_. It was a possibility that Near was actually as talkative as this when he's around his team… but what were the chances of that? _Besides, it's better to be safe than sorry._

"Hey."

The officer almost jumped from shock. Luckily, he was able to suppress it… Unfortunately, though, that didn't save the toy robot he was holding at that moment. He had accidentally dropped it when Ryuk suddenly decided to speak.

"Aw, crap… Bad timing, huh?" The shinigami scratched its head.

_Y'think?_ Matsuda wanted to glare at the thing, but one false move, one suspicious thing could give him away—

"Matsuda-san, was I not clear?" Near said, scowling. There was a sudden, yet subtle change in his mood. "If not, then let me repeat myself _again_. Please handle _my_ belongings _with_ care."

"I—I'm sorry Nea—L," the man replied, swiftly scooping the toy off the ground. He tried as much as he could to focus on the task, instead of worrying about his mistake. The damn creature was making it harder though.

"Matsuda, I know that you're in a very sticky situation right now. And that you're probably wishing that I'd shut up," the death god started. "But, you've got another bigger problem."

Matsuda didn't seem to react, but the shinigami continued anyways.

"There are a group of men outside this building," it stated. "I think they're looking for you. I heard one of them say your name… Ah…. I think they're planning to kidnap you, but I couldn't really tell."

"You've got to be kidding me," Matsuda said—out loud, before he even realized what he'd just done.

To be continued…

_Author's note: Yes. I'm continuing it. ^_^ Sorry for the delay. The source of the problem? One word: COLLEGE. __


	11. Mistakes

**Chapter 11: Mistakes**

He paused.

He froze.

_Oh._

_Crap._

He was screwed.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

"Matsuda-san," the boy started in a neutral tone. The officer felt his heart beating faster. It was all over now. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," the man quickly replied in defence. "Nothing… aha ha ha…"

_Oh god. Dammit. Calm down, dammit._ Fiddling with one of the more delicate action figures, he smiled nervously to himself pretending that nothing had happened. Why was it so hard for him to calm down? _Oh, I don't know… Maybe because I'm Kira and he's L and oh—shit._

He heard footsteps headed his way.

He gulped.

_I hope this works. _Before Near got any closer, Matsuda snapped one of the parts of the figure without the boy, or the camera for that matter, witnessing it. It _was_ worth a shot. _Please work…_

"What…" The younger one began—and then narrowed his eyes at what he saw.

---

"Umm…" The man stuttered, unsure. He was grinning at him guiltily. "Sorry…?"

Without another word, Near instantly snatched his toy away from the agent's clumsy hands. He began studying the damage done—and from the look of things, it wasn't that bad, luckily. Perhaps a little customization would do the job, and then it would be as good as new. Better yet, he could always buy a new one.

_However, that doesn't excuse him for what he did,_ Near thought darkly.

"Matsuda," he began, glancing back at the anxious man. He wasn't sure whether the detective was usually like this or not. From what he had seen before, there _was_ a possibility. Nevertheless, this event warranted some close inspection. Having said that, he concluded that perhaps the best course of action would be to let the subject have his way, make it look like he hadn't noticed. Putting acid in his tone, the boy said, "Maybe you should start with another box, preferably one that does not contain any _breakables_."

Matsuda winced at that, but he agreed nevertheless. Making his way to the stack of boxes, he looked for one that didn't contain toys or any electronics.

---

_Did he buy it?_ The agent glanced at the pale haired young boy. _Who am I kidding? It's Near. He probably knows by now, or at the very least, he suspects me by now._

"I hope that you're plotting some way of getting away from those kidnappers," Ryuk interrupted. "I'm serious. They're really out there waiting for the first chance to nab you."

_Good point_, the investigator thought tiredly as he opened a new box. _But how the hell am I supposed to prepare for a kidnapping?_

"Can't you tell one of them?" Ryuk went on. The shinigami was aware that he wasn't going to get an answer, but he wanted to at least let Matsuda think about it. "Maybe warn one of your friends that you're being stalked and tell them you have a bad feeling about today?"

_I would… But what if the kidnappers do come for me and they get hurt? I will never forgive myself if that ever happened._

"Or maybe you can live here."

_Hell no. Especially not with Near and the SPK. I think I'd rather get kidnapped. Besides, Near already said we shouldn't. It might alert the spy and all that._

"Ok, this is getting boring," The creature announced abruptly. "You know what? I think I'll go outside."

_Make sure you don't just pop in the next time you get back._The man thought bitterly.

---

A few hours later…

Beep, beep, beep.

Near paused what he was doing and reached for the intercom button.

"What is it, Gevanni?"

_'We detected a group of people outside when we were inspecting the cameras.'_

"Is that so?"

_'Yes. They've been there for at least an hour now, or perhaps even longer._'

"Any clues as to what their motives might be?"

'_Nothing clear as of yet._'

"Any suspicions?"

'_Well, based on our observations, they're not just here for surveillance. However, they're probably not here for an attack either. They don't have enough men for that._'

"A kidnapping perhaps?" Near suggested, as he twirled his hair.

'_Most probably_.'

The boy thought for a moment. He gave Matsuda a quick side glance and then sighed. Reaching for the button once again, he responded, "Make sure that the NPA members remain inside, for now. Also, please contact everyone and tell them to meet me here."

---

"Kidnappers?" Yamamoto asked, incredulous.

"Yes, it appears that one of you might be the target," L responded. "Think about it: someone's been spying on you for weeks. It should not come as a surprise if they finally decided to abduct one of you for information."

"Then, what do you want us to do?" Ide asked.

"Stay here, for now."

"But I thought that that would alert the spy?" Matsuda cut in.

"We don't really have a choice now, do we?" the boy countered. "I any case, I already called a team to apprehend these men. They're beginning the operation as we speak."

"Wow. That was fast…" Matsuda commented in astonishment. "Does that mean we won't have to stay here for long?"

"No. None of you are allowed outside until I say so," the white haired boy said as he twirled his hair. "Even if we capture everyone from this suspicious group, they may still send another team to abduct anyone of you."

"That makes sense." Ide nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess so." Matsuda sighed.

"L," Aizawa suddenly said. "There's something I need to discuss with you—alone, if that's ok."

The boy looked at him curiously, and then nodded. He motioned the rest of the group to leave.

Silence.

"So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

---

Matsuda seated himself in the lobby, waiting for Near and Aizawa to finish. He didn't really have anything else to do. He couldn't go outside—thankfully, and the only task that was given to him was to unpack the new L's belongings. So really, what else could he do but wait?

The rest had disappeared off to somewhere, but Lester remained, standing still across the room, just in case Near needed anything else. Matsuda tried to ignore the tall fellow, but he was starting to get anxious. Leaning onto the armrest of the sofa, the investigator pretended to yawn.

"Yeeesh, you better give me some apples later," Ryuk said, as he phased through the wall. Matsuda knew better now than to make any sort of suspicious movement, so closed his eyes, pretending to rest. He simply waited for the shinigami to continue. "Guess who got one of those kidnappers to trip in front of a camera?"

_Thanks, Ryuk… I guess... _The detective thought. _Too bad I'm stuck here though… No apples for you._

RIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!

Instinctively, Matsuda reached for his pocket.

"All mobile phones are to be switched off," Lester reminded him.

"Yeah—I know, sorry," the younger man replied quickly, smiling apologetically. Before putting it away, he took a quick glance to see who the caller was…

_Sayu…?_

The doors to the meeting room suddenly opened, and out came Aizawa and Near.

"Matsuda-san, I apologise for the lack of an explanation, but may I please have your phone?"

The investigator stared at the young boy, perplexed. He looked at Aizawa, but his superior merely nodded. Reluctantly, Matsuda handed his mobile over. _What's going on?_

"Lester, please give this to Gevanni," The boy gestured at the phone. He'll know what to do."

"Yes, sir," the tall man replied, taking the object from Matsuda's hands. Without another word, he left the room.

"What's going on…?" The bewildered officer timidly asked.

"There's been a new development," Near quickly replied. "Everyone's mobile phones are to be monitored constantly from now on. The rest are being briefed about this as we speak."

"Huh? Wait, what?"

"Just do what he says." Aizawa urged seriously.

"L, Gevanni's done," Lester reported as he strode into the room. He handed back Matsuda's phone. "The whole thing is set."

"Eh? What's going on?"

"From now own, you will all have to answer every call that you receive. Gevanni and I will be constantly monitoring all the conversations." Near quickly explained.

"Oh… So we can have our phones turned on, even in this building now?"

"Yes."

_Sayu…_

"Can I call someone then?"

---

"I've infiltrated the main building of The Daylight Corporation."

'_Great job. Now, there should be a computer room there where they keep a list of their recent activities_,' the voice in the phone informed. '_I'd like you to keep me updated on what they've been up to for the past few days, especially activities that could possibly be connected to us or Kira._'

"Yes ma'am," Adam replied. He shifted his hold on the weapon he'd stolen from a guard a while ago. "Is there anything else, Alexia?"

_'No. That will be all for now_.'

---

RIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!

"Who is it?"

"It's him."

"Ha. Right on cue." The man looked at his colleague and then at the girl on the floor. Smirking, he took the girl's phone from the other guy and answered it. "Touta Matsuda, right? We have the girl. So, if I were you, I'd listen very closely."

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: Confusing? All I have to say is that there are more than two sides here. Also, you still remember Alexia and Adam, right? If not, think back to Chap 4. Anyways, I hope you guys aren't mad for the long hiatus. D:


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